


It Must Suck to Be Straight, but I Wouldn't Know

by idiotwithacatpen



Series: Fair Game Week Soulmate Aus [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: I did not try hard on the title, I wrote this mostly to angst about Pyrrha and Summer, M/M, Soulmates, at all, by which I mean it's about 5 minutes away from midnight, lgbt stands for lets go beat tyrian, oh and raven, this is technically not late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:00:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23258053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idiotwithacatpen/pseuds/idiotwithacatpen
Summary: Once you meet your soulmate, you feel their pain, whether physical or emotional. Qrow has watched a lot of First Meetings and is yet to experience his own. When he does, though, his soulmate can barely stand when he feels Qrow's pain. Neither of them ever learn what a stab wound feels like, because why would Qrow let Tyrian stab Clover?
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Fair Game Week Soulmate Aus [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666321
Comments: 7
Kudos: 94





	It Must Suck to Be Straight, but I Wouldn't Know

The campfire flickers in the center of the four teenagers, lightening and darkening their faces as Qrow watches from a distance, a hand on his wound. Hopefully, far enough away to keep his semblance from affecting them. Gods know they don’t need more bad luck right now.

“Cinder shot her in the heel,” Jaune says, his voice barely more than a whisper. His blue eyes have a haunted tone to them, a certain kind of pain that tells Qrow all he needs to know.

Jaune and Pyrrha were soulmates. It’s obvious by the look on Jaune’s face and the way he goes on to describe her pain so acutely. Qrow feels a pang of sympathy for the young man. It’s bad enough to watch your soulmate die, and even worse if it’s violent.

Because if it’s violent… you feel every second of it. You feel their pain as they feel it, and if you’re unlucky, you might feel their terror. Their anguish. Their _resignation._

“She was so scared,” Jaune tells them. “And she had been so brave and so strong, but after that, Cinder shot her- she shot her in the…” He trails off, tears sliding down his cheeks.

Ruby gives him a long, sympathetic look before she finishes quietly, “She shot her in the chest.” She taps the spot where Cinder fired with one finger. 

His face solemn, Ren nods, keeping his eyes on the ground. After a few seconds where Jaune wipes his tears away, Ren murmurs, “Did she suffer?”

Jaune can only shake his head as he covers his eyes. The four members of Team RNJR (or JNRR, if Nora gets her way) sit in silence, the pain on their faces almost too much to bear.

“Cinder turned her to dust,” Ruby replies, her silver eyes somewhere else, on a memory from not too long ago. “She died quickly.”

A tear slips down Nora’s cheek. She huddles closer to Ren, who wraps a comforting arm around her. One look at the tender expression on their faces when they look at each other tells Qrow that Team JNPR didn’t have just one pair of soulmates. Maybe these two haven’t confronted it yet, but they both clearly know.

Qrow leans against the tree trunk and shuts his eyes. He remembers watching countless pairs of soulmates find each other, and he remembers watching them lose each other too. The chaos in Team STRQ alone… Qrow doesn’t want to think about it.

Tai could either be called very lucky or very unlucky with his soulmates. Qrow knows he’d choose unlucky. To find and lose two soulmates, even with one being alive, would shatter a lesser person.

Slowly, he finds himself drifting off despite the stinging pain from the wound on his stomach. As he lets himself relax, the sounds of Team RNJR talking fade into the darkness.

\---

Raven laughs as she trudges through the tall grass, her face young and happy. Qrow can’t remember the last time he’s seen it be either in the last few years. She tosses her black hair over her shoulder, almost smacking Qrow in the face.

It’s around when he sees the pink tinge to her cheeks that he realizes this is a dream. Raven hasn’t looked like that for almost two decades.

As if in confirmation, the next person to appear is Summer, the smile on Raven’s face mirrored on her own. She bounces behind her teammate, white cape fluttering in the wind. Qrow feels a pang of sadness at the sight. It’s been years, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll miss her any less.

After them comes Tai, sweat gleaming on his forehead as he pushes his hair out of his eyes and laughs along with them. As they walk, he pulls out his scroll and holds it out to show them their auras.

Qrow already knows what’s going to happen next, but he still winces when Raven runs into the log and falls to the ground. She claps a hand to her leg, blood seeping between her fingers.

In the blink of an eye, Tai is on the ground too, clutching his own leg. Qrow feels himself running forward, shouting an apology, but it’s like he’s underwater. The words are muffled and disjointed, but he knows them well enough anyway. 

Summer kneels down next to Tai and pries his hands away from his leg, her eyes widening in understanding when she sees no blood. She turns to Raven and says something, her grin too wide to be real.

Raven returns the smile, her pain forgotten as she and Tai stare at each other like they’re the only ones in Remnant. 

Once they bandage Raven’s wound, Team STRQ sets out again. Hesitantly, Raven reaches for Tai’s hand, giving him an uncertain glance. His fingers wrap around hers, and they send each other a look that conveys everything they leave unspoken.

Meanwhile, Qrow walks next to Summer, whose lip is wobbling despite her attempt to keep a smile on her face. Her eyes shine with tears, but she doesn’t let them fall. He reaches out a comforting hand and pats her on the back somewhat awkwardly, but she seems to appreciate the gesture all the same.

Raven and Tai walk along hand-in-hand, and although Summer and Qrow are walking behind them, they know that both of them have to be beaming. Both of them have seen the realization before with other couples, after all.

Qrow extends his scroll to Summer, a message typed out. _Are you okay?_

_I wish it was me._

_You’ll find them one day. And they’ll be even better than Tai, I promise you._

Summer smiles weakly and looks up at him, her lips forming the words thank you. It’s not her most convincing expression, to be sure. He can tell that she’s torn, and he understands why. She wants to be happy for them, she clearly does, but it’s hard when she’s also so clearly in love with Tai.

Qrow returns the grin anyway and types out another message. _We can cry and eat ice cream in our pajamas later._

_Ice cream is for the weak. The strong eat cookies._

_Fine, cookies then._

Qrow gets to hear a final round of Team STRQ’s laughter and sees them all smile one more time before the dream fades away. 

\---

He wakes up with his side on fire. Qrow coughs, drawing the attention of Team RWBY. For a second, he wants to tell them to just stay back. That it’s better to keep their distance. But there’s a certain lonely void in his heart that he’s never been able to fill, so he says nothing.

He’s never met his soulmate, a fact that he knows for sure. All his life, he’s never felt the slightest bit of pain that couldn’t be from one of his own injuries, a sure sign that he’s yet to meet them. The one that’s supposed to fill that void in him. The one that’s supposed to be his other half. The one that’s destined to be with him.

Ugh, destiny.

Qrow pulls his palm away from the wound, revealing a purple stain on his hand and his bandages. “That’s unfortunate,” he says, as nonchalantly as he would if it were a minor scratch.

It’s not. For the rest of the day, he can feel himself getting weaker and weaker. His head burns, but he still shivers and staggers until Team RNJR is forced to carry him.

As the fever sets in, the memories return. Qrow tries to run from them, from the painful reminders that he’s revisited so many times already, but there’s nowhere to go when he’s trapped in his head.

Summer carries Yang in her arms, her silver eyes missing their usual spark as she moves slowly through the home. Qrow recognizes the scene all too well. He remembers that pain. Raven’s loss was terrible for all of them, but especially Tai.

She opens his door silently and peaks in, her sorrowful gaze landing on Tai. He’s sitting up in his bed and looking out the window, but his eyes stare at nothing. The only indications that he’s still alive are the rise and fall of his chest and the occasional blink. It’s oddly reminiscent of Yang’s empty gaze as she tells him about her soulmate, the one who ran away just minutes after she realized the truth.

Slowly, as if approaching a wounded animal, Summer sits down in the chair next to him. She says something to him, and he nods, but he still doesn’t look any less devastated.

That’s when Summer winces and clutches her side with one arm, the other still holding Yang. On cue, Tai jolts up, hissing in pain.

Summer turns to look at Qrow so dramatically it could be a comedy. Her lips form two words.

Despite the pain it brings him to watch this moment again, Qrow has to stifle a laugh. He knows those words. They’ll never leave him for the rest of his life.

“Period cramps,” Summer had said.

Of all the things that had led to the discovery of a lifetime, it was period cramps. Qrow remembers Tai’s expression so well that he doesn’t even have to look. Still, he wants to see the hopeful smile appear on his face, matching the one on Summer’s.

Tai had thought Raven’s cramps were the worst part of their soulbond until she gave birth to Yang. Qrow still remembers the two awkward days when both Tai and his soulmate were incapacitated. 

_Straight people got the short end of the stick_ , Qrow thinks to himself. 

-

The red-eyed Huntsman looks up from the ground, struggling in Clover’s bola tie. “Hey, pal!” He growls. “I’m a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?”

Clover opens his mouth to respond when the wave of pain hits him. He staggers away in shock, barely managing to keep standing. The pain in his body is minimal, limited to twinges from old wounds. But in his mind…

“You okay?” Harriet asks, reaching out a hand to steady him. Even with her support, Clover almost falls to the ground. A second later, Harriet removes her hand, and Clover does fall. 

Knees slamming into the pavement, Clover can barely think to catch himself. The red-eyed Huntsman stares up at him, looking only mildly concerned. Clover raises a hand to his head as if it’ll relieve him of the pain.

Casting him a concerned glance, Harriet moves to pull the Huntsman to his feet and load him into the prisoner transport. Clover stops her before she can reach him. “Leave them alone.”

Harriet turns back to him, surprise lighting her eyes. “Clover, we have orders.”

“Yeah, but…”

She seems to make the connection between Clover and the Huntsman then, but she still shakes her head. “Orders, Clover.”

Clover holds her gaze for a few seconds before he sighs. “Fine.” He struggles to his feet, his mind still swirling with the Huntsman’s pain. As the rest of the Ace Ops half-help, half-drag the captured Huntsmen to the prisoner transport, he sends one last glance towards who he’s pretty sure- no, absolutely sure- is his soulmate.

_How can anyone bear that?_

All of the stories he’s heard talk about minor pains, of slipping and falling and having someone feel your pain right before your eyes. Soulmates are destined to meet, but he’s never thought about meeting like this. Clover’s never imagined meeting someone and feeling that much pass over him all at once.

People are always in pain, from minor headaches or slight cramps or twinges. He anticipated that. Not this- this sheer, raw wave of anguish. Of desperation and regret and a wish to be anyone else than who he is.

Later, he gets the man’s name.

Qrow Branwen.

Clover wracks his brain for hours, unable to figure out what could cause such terrible feelings. He remembers something about the Branwen Tribe and looks them up, but surely being disowned from a family of bandits or a teammate’s death can’t be the cause of it, can it?

It’s not until the mines that he realizes what it could be. Misfortune. He’s always had a good feeling because of his Semblance- the thought that his very presence will help people. He can barely imagine the opposite.

Many people think that you find your soulmate and boom, a grand romance and wedding and everything in between. No. Not at all. First of all, aromantics and asexuals exist- why would they not get soulmates? Platonic soulmates exist, and Clover has never minded the idea of them.

Second of all, why on earth would you marry someone you just met? What if they’re only meant to be a platonic soulmate? That would be awkward.

Clover waits. He flirts a little- okay, maybe a lot- and tries to form a bond, one that the universe didn’t make for them. Along this path of befriending his soulmate, (and trying to help him realize that he shouldn’t have to feel so bad over his Semblance) Clover realizes something. 

Qrow doesn’t know.

Maybe it was obvious to anyone else, but Clover thinks that his wonderful display of falling over from the pain was enough of a sign. Oh, well. This does take away the pressure to rush into a relationship that, quite frankly, neither of them are really ready for.

Soon, he thinks, he’ll talk to Qrow. Not yet, though. For now, he just wants to be friends.

-

Qrow remembers feeling the impact of his fist on his own side as well as Clover’s very clearly, along with the events that happened after that. Tyrian tried (and failed) to stab Clover, because why would they not notice him running by them? They’re both more observant than that.

That realization, though… it hadn’t been how he’d imagined. He’d looked forward to meeting his soulmate for a long time, even as he hoped he wouldn’t hurt them like everyone else in his life.

Luckily, Clover’s yet to die or even get stabbed. Qrow sends a glance to the man in the bed beside him, who’s sound asleep. He’s glad he’s alive- he doesn’t think he could take another loss.

It’s been a while since that fateful day, and since then, they’ve had a lot of time to talk about it. To accept their bond, to allow their relationship to develop like any normal one, soulmate or no, should. And look at where they’ve ended up.

Mantle is safe, although not without heavy casualties. Ironwood is dead (good riddance, if Qrow says so himself) and they’re on their way to Shade. The kids are going to need yet another outfit change. Not that they’ll mind.

Qrow lays down again, the shifting mattress making Clover stir. His soulmate’s eyes open slowly, and they smile at each other before Clover wraps an arm around him.

As he drifts off to sleep, Qrow can’t help but snuggle closer to his soulmate. It’s been a long time since he’s been held like this by anyone (okay, so maybe it’s been never) and it feels good to finally experience it.

They have more problems coming up, yes. But right now, Qrow doesn’t have a care in the world.

Besides, his world is right here.

**Author's Note:**

> look I really want to finish day 7... you're all going to hate it
> 
> and I have no memory of writing most of this so oops


End file.
